Value of Facebook?
 

I joined Facebook a while back. So far, I'm still wondering what value it has for my business. So far, I find it to just be a time and energy drain for the most part. I'm curious of the experience of others. I suppose for those who want to share their latest portrait, it's a good way to keep in touch.

Also, do you feel Facebook partially replaces what you might be otherwise sharing over here on the Forum?

The greatest value for me has been in finding relatives, not for my business.

Cynthia, I'm on Facebook also.
I find it's a fast, somewhat superficial forum. I have sometimes tried to comment on someones paintings, but find that the response is not really wanted if the critic is critical. People are not seriously inn for building skill's in the spirit of this forum.

The reason I decided to join was to try to get more web traffic to my writing. I have a few blogs, one of which is not related to art.

I try not to waste too much time on it. I don't think it replaces this forum at all as the focus, even with art as the subject, is not on portraiture.

Since the advent of Facebook, I've noted a marked decrease in traffic on the fora I subscribe to. I suspect it may be in part due to the immediacy Facebook offers.

For my part, I "don't get it" . . . I don't know how to use it, but I signed on, partly because it doesn't feel right to snub all those messages telling me a wide circle of folks I know "want me for a friend" . . . dunno what kind of friend on Facebook I'm being, as I don't really know how to use it.

I use Facebook quite a bit and know of people who promote their businesses on it. I can see how that could be quite effective if done well. There are plenty of websites with tips on how to promote your business on Facebook

I agree that the depth of conversation/critique doesn't nearly approach what there used to be on SOG and that is unfortunate. I do find FB a great way to stay in touch with a lot of artists, and "meet" new ones, though. That's been a valuable thing for me since being a full time painter can be very isolated.

Hmm, I will have to "friend" you Michele. I use FB mostly to help keep track of relatives and a few friends from art school.

Facebook could be a great application for artists but since you are obligated to 'friend' many relative's and friend's requests who may not have an aptitude for art criticism, I would avoid it unless you have a separate account just for your business/artist friends. I personally avoid posting artwork other than using my self portrait for my profile pic. It's not because I can't handle the criticism it is more because they don't really know what to say and I am not really an exhibitionist anyway.

I must say I have personally reduced my use of this forum out of concern for the fact that anyone doing a general search of my name can read excerpts of our discussions. I am content with the thought that what I discuss can be a good teaching aid to others but concerned that to a potential client it may look inexperienced. I am wondering if anyone else out there has this concern as well.

-Amanda

Amanda, I think your concerns about how discussions among painters might present one's work to a potential client in a questionable light . . . in any case, in crits, the knowledgeable can discuss aspects that are often beyond the ken of one's patrons, and hence are inadvisable for "open to the public" reading.

I am, however, laboring under the illusion that this is a closed forum, open only to members who, as practising painters/portraitists, have been "screened" through a jury process . . . ? I believe this to be the case, and so discussions on this forum are not open to one's random clients, however they search . . . Ms Daniels ?

I believe that one has to be a member to participate in the discussion but anyone can read it. What the viewer can read is not the typical format. I will post this discussion I had initiated maybe a year ago as just an example of what will pop up when someone does a simple google search of your name. It is not as high in the search list as it was months ago but I would hate to think that a potential client would read something I wrote and see it as inexperienced. (http://65.127.237.190/printthread.php?t=8904)

Again, it is appropriate for other artists to read as a means of collaboration but not clients. Admittedly, I always do a google search of potential clients.
Any advice Cynthia?

Facebook is more intimate. I have promoted local shows and events and kept in touch with clients through it. I see a lot of artists getting Fan pages and a lot of users getting tired of becoming fans. The fan pages are more for news reports. I do see blogging and Facebook alerts as a way to generate interest. My blog makes me look reliable and can inspire people to buy that particular product. People on Facebook are adept at cross marketing.

The fun of a forum and the random input it generates from the community is what I miss. My old favorite fora are either too big or too exclusive to have that same intimacy I used to have. Facebook allows me to pop into someones life and say "Hi" randomly, but it is very hard to stay up on them. I still don't get it. The format also tend to change just when I figure out how it works.

I just want to announce that I really don't have over 100 friends. That is the part of Facebook that bothers me. I love that people are finding me through people who know me and their friends find me interesting... it is when those friends's friends start getting in line that I feel a bit out of control. I DO like that I can block interlopers, and UNfriend problem folks. But it could be my own control issues.

Twitter for me is completely useless. TOO much chaff. It might be interesting to watch a celebrity but it takes a lot to become one. Even people I am interested in are pretty boring in repetitive unsolicited small bursts.

So. That is my opinion on how it is working for me.
dj*

Me...

I find Facebook to be very entertaining, and also informative.

Only about 10% of my 'friends' are actual friends. The rest are artists from all parts of the world. The neat thing for me is, they (me too) post our work in the albums, and it has been tremendously valuable for me to see what other people are doing. Because I'm researching the art market, I check out galleries, listen to conversations around that issue, and learn quite a lot. I would never have known some of these artists existed, if it not for fb.

Yes, generally speaking most people don't post for critique, but it has been done, and done well. I've asked questions, and have always gotten generous and kind responses.

Basically, I use it for work. And to check on my kids:)

And yes, it can be addicting.

I see a lot of my friends advertising their businesses on FB, and I'll admit to having an album of recent paintings but I don't honestly expect to get any work from it. I also get kind of annoyed when I get invited to join a bunch of friend's groups for their products that I have never and will never buy. I mean, I love my friends and all, but . . .

I only use it for the most part because my daughter is deaf and FB is a great way to network with other deaf people. Can't call them all on the phone to invite them to a party, you know!

So in the end, Facebook is used more for my private social life, while LinkedIn is more of a career-oriented, work site. I don't see any harm in either but for painters I really don't think it's the best way to advertise. Either or both typically work better for products aimed for the masses. When your clientele are upper-middle and higher class individuals, the chances of them seeing your art while surfing FB is very low.

Well I reluctantly joined Facebook because many of the other forums and comment sections on blogs have started requiring a Facebook account to post. But I rally have not done much on it. I don't have much good to say about the user interface of Facebook but that is about it.

On google search: Well unless you use other modifiers besides just my name you will get a lot of other Michael Fourniers.. If you include Art or Portraits then you will find my site in the first 3 links but just too many Michael Fournier/s out there on the internet to just find me by goggling my name alone even if you include middle names.

The problem with Facebook, for me, is that I spend too much time wading through posts of pictures of people's pets and reports of the trivial details of so many of my friends' everyday lives in search of a few truly meaningful or interesting posts that are actually worth reading. I could also do without the political preaching of some of my friends as well, since I have my own ideas about political issues, and the good manners to refrain from imposing them on anyone else, out of respect for their own views on the subject.

Though I continue to go to Facebook every day, I try to be considerate enough of my friends to limit my posts to the bare minimum, and spare them the tedium of reading every thought that pops into my head or reports of every unimportant event that occurs in my daily life, with the perhaps unrealistic hope that I will thereby inspire others to follow my sterling example.

Virgil Elliott

Amen! Add to that religious preaching, photos of the stitches you got, etc. When I first became a grandmother in May, I did not know I could specify who saw what I posted. Since then, I have my postings of my granddaughter set up so only family and close friends can see them.

I see you can also you can select what things you subscribe to with each friend.